Hold your horses so that they carry you a long way: 7 tips on the role of emotions in recruitment
Even in a professional setting, you are still a human being subject to your instincts and driven by emotions. As recruitment processes often lead to (or result from) important changes in your life, they can trigger an avalanche of reactions you may not be particularly proud of in the long run.
At Maxima Consulting, a people-centric company, we understand how difficult it might be to navigate through them. This is why I decided to share these 7 tips on how to build your recruitment resilience and stay positive in all your job-seeking endeavors.
Back at the drawing board: First impressions
Tip #1: Making a good first impression is very important, so never forget about the rules of social behaviour and make sure never to offend anyone.
Considering how diverse modern workplaces are, you should expect that, during your job interviews, you might talk to people of various generations, genders, and origins. Try to be considerate and avoid crossing other people’s boundaries, as the most universal way to make a good first impression and secure your spot in the next steps of the recruitment process lies in respect and politeness.
In other words, make sure that you do not offend anyone on your way to the dream job. Even though we tend to apply less and less formality to our professional lives nowadays, we cannot forget about the basic rules of social behavior. Put yourself in the shoes of your future employer: would you risk cooperating with someone who shows no respect for you or your team?
Keep in mind that the company is considering investing in you, so they will assess you on various levels. Even the greatest experience and skills can be belittled by rude and inappropriate behavior during a recruitment process.
Keep calm and be awesome
Tip #2: Be aware that the recruitment process may trigger various emotions in you, and it is your responsibility to manage them so they don’t harm your cause.
You should be aware that as a candidate, you are part of a complex and dynamic process that involves many parties. Thus, you may find yourself in a situation that is not to your liking, but even if you cannot control what other people say or do, you can control how you react to it. While the recruitment process can trigger a variety of emotions in you, managing these feelings so they don’t harm your hiring chances remains your responsibility.
While most recruiters are not easily shocked and are rather tolerant towards surprising behaviors, bear in mind that they are also human beings and have their emotions, too. As anger often triggers anger or other defensive behavior, it would be hard for anyone to maintain a positive relationship with someone who has vividly expressed their negative approach towards you.
You wouldn’t praise the communication skills of someone who only offered you mean comments and signs of contempt, and you wouldn’t describe someone who ignores your questions or requests and displays a lack of interest as proactive and having a positive attitude.
An experienced recruiter can easily spot signs of your changing mood - a sigh or slightly irritated tone gives away what you really think. For a company that is considering hiring you, it’s important to know how you feel about the details of their opportunity, how you approach your work now, and what is important to you. Consequently, they will be tuned in to notice such “hidden messages.”
By staying composed, even in stressful situations, you help your interlocutors remain neutral towards you, allowing them to assess your skills properly. But if you’re able to showcase your enthusiasm, hope, or joy in the face of a challenge, it can convince your interviewer that you are a better choice than others. By demonstrating a positive approach and a sympathetic nature, you reinforce your image as a perfect fit for the organization. And it can land you a job, even despite a minor shortcoming, such as lacking one required skill.
A new leaf: Don’t dwell on the past
Tip #3: Don’t let previous disappointments define your future, and treat every recruitment process as a fresh start.
From my experience, past recruitment processes are a very common source of frustration among candidates. I often hear complaints about lousy recruitment processes in other companies, comments on some requirements or recruitment stages being pointless, and jokes or remarks about other recruiters and hiring managers that candidates have encountered in the past. To a certain point, such insights might be interesting for a recruiter, as they allow us to reflect on our practices and habits.
However, if these comments are provided as an answer to crucial interview questions (e.g., regarding your skills), they can negatively impact your chances of getting a job. Interviews are usually time-restricted, and your interlocutor needs to cover all the points on their agenda to objectively compare candidates in all aspects that matter.
If you’d like to share some feedback, consider the interview format and time constraints. How about doing it via email after the process is finished or at the end of the conversation if there’s still some time left on the clock?
All things considered, I strongly advise you to approach each recruitment process as a fresh start and without prejudice. I’ve met candidates who apparently thought that I was part of some talent acquisition gang that takes pleasure in tormenting candidates, along with all other interviewers they’ve ever met.
From the recruiter’s perspective, it feels strongly unfair to be blamed for the mistakes of some complete strangers. Don’t jeopardize your opportunity to land a dream job by turning your recruiter against you. Most recruiters, who are naturally immersed in topics of professional development and career growth, also strive for professional excellence. Remember that we are successful when our candidates are successful, which means most of us really root for the candidates we invite for interviews.
Every cloud has a silver lining
Tip #4: Remember that even an unsuccessful recruitment process can be a valuable experience.
As with any other challenge, every recruitment process constitutes a learning opportunity. Sounds like a cliché? Well, look at the variety of enrichment it brings.
First of all, you can find out what skills you should improve and what knowledge you lack. Obviously, it is easier to see if you are provided with thorough feedback, but let’s be honest, it’s not always the case. But you can always reflect on how well you have dealt with particular tasks or questions by yourself. Has anything surprised you? Or maybe you’ve heard about a new, exciting solution? Diving deeper into these kinds of topics is usually worthwhile.
Secondly, practice makes perfect. The more job interviews you have attended, the better you can perform at them. Knowing common interview styles and steps, being aware of frequently asked questions, and knowing potential tasks to complete can help you be well-prepared and, as a result, reduce your stress level while increasing your confidence.
Thirdly, a recruitment process is also a chance to learn about your own preferences and goals. Each process opens a door to another company for you, revealing their work culture, leadership style, ideas, plans for the future, innovations, successes, and challenges. It can be really inspiring to analyze which elements you like and would love to see at your new or current employer, and which simply do not resonate with you.
Lastly, do not forget that many recruiters and hiring managers are open to staying in touch. Ensure that, at the end of the communication, you leave a clear message indicating the positions or projects you might be interested in. Resourceful talent acquisition specialists will be happy to contact you if a suitable opportunity appears. One missed shot does not necessarily mean there is no potential for cooperation, as everything depends on the particular project requirements.
Focus on your goal and keep your eye on the prize
Tip #5: Succeeding in a recruitment process requires responsibility and maturity at each stage.
Try to consciously plan all your actions so they bring you closer to securing the job you want, and never abandon the once-embraced path to your new career destination just because you encountered some minor obstacles along the way.
Do not underestimate the first steps of your process - if you fail to treat them with proper care, you may end up missing a chance or wasting your time. Before submitting an application, contemplate why this particular opportunity has caught your attention. First, analyze not how you fit the role, but in what ways the role and the company meet your needs, and why they are interesting to you. Only then, ask yourself why you are a good (or great) match for it.
Unfortunately, recruiters are not equipped with magical crystal balls (sometimes we would like to have them, though). Our decisions are based solely on the information we have about candidates, which, at this stage, is whatever you include in your resume.
Consequently, your resume should clearly reference the job requirements somewhere, either in your skills, experience, or elsewhere. If this reference is rather indirect, make sure that you justify your train of thought in the bio section. This simple trick will help you avoid unnecessary rejections. If you have doubts about whether a particular position is suitable for you, you can always reach out to the recruiter and ask for clarification before the interview to save time and avoid disappointment.
During an interview, remember that you are devoting your time and effort to achieving your goal of landing a job offer, and you do not want to jeopardize your image due to one unexpected question. Making a good impression may sometimes mean excusing your ego or silencing your impulse reaction.
There is more than meets the eye
Tip #6: Know that, in general, recruiters have a positive approach to the people they are interviewing.
As the internet has become an accessible platform for sharing our experiences, as a recruiter, I am always curious to check candidates’ points of view. Although it is sad for me personally to read or listen to people who seem to perceive recruiters as pure evil, I am trying to understand why they think so.
I understand that participating in several processes that do not result in a new job makes people question the recruitment process, as they see it, to find a reason for their failure. What is often overlooked is that there might be factors beyond candidates’ control, such as the number of vacancies or a particular company’s internal situation.
For example, if lots of people apply for the position you are applying for, then even the smallest details will matter. Moreover, just like in our private lives, when circumstances suddenly change and we need to change our plans, the same may happen to organizations.
Imagine the challenge of losing a big client in the midst of recruiting new people for this client’s project. Or what happens when a project is postponed due to the third-party provider’s fault? Then, there are budget cuts resulting from stakeholder-mandated restructuring that brings new vision and ideas on what talent a company needs. In the case of larger organizations, these factors may filter down slowly and catch the recruitment team off guard, busy with their work.
It can be beneficial to reflect on how you are perceived in comparison to other candidates, but it is essential to remember that your ultimate success depends on much more than just your performance during the recruitment process.
Believe it or not, by default, recruiters have a positive approach to the people they interview. However, both candidates and recruiters must adapt to the rapidly evolving market requirements, which often force companies to make harsh decisions that also affect how recruitment is conducted.
Exploring the other side
Tip #7: The main task of your recruiter is to fish for the advantages of having you on board.
Not everyone knows that their success in the recruitment process is also a professional achievement for their recruiter. This is why most recruiters strive to highlight the benefits of having their candidates on board and showcase the traits that make them ideal for the role.
Each time you drift away from landing a job causes their disappointment, too. It means their effort and time have also been wasted. Typically, recruiters aim to find the right person for the role in the shortest possible time. By doing so, they complete a task entrusted to them by a hiring manager - the person in need of hiring someone for their team, who usually plays a major role in the candidate assessment process. The entire recruitment path you follow, with its challenges and (sometimes unexpected) turns, ultimately leads to this destination.
More often than not, your recruiter has been cooperating closely with a particular hiring manager. Consequently, they are well aware of your potential supervisor’s preferences, skills that draw their attention, or typical ways of making decisions.
Since expanding one’s team is usually based on several reasons, as a candidate, you should be aware that the pros and cons of your profile are not irrelevant to the hiring team. Most probably, your interviewers have had heated discussions on what is negotiable, what skills can be acquired on the job, and what is a must-have gem we cannot compromise on.
This topic is closely related to clarifying or additional questions that recruiters tend to ask. Some of the candidates I meet react to them with enthusiasm, while others become defensive. It is worth noting that these types of questions are designed to provide the decisive person with the exact information they need to make sure you are the right fit for the job. The earlier both sides figure it out, the better.
It is a good practice to cooperate with your recruiter and treat them as a partner in the mission of solving a puzzle: “Am I the right person for this role?” Precise and honest answers help your recruiter assess whether your chances for the job are high enough to warrant investing your time and effort.
Final thoughts and my personal recommendation
As a recruiter, I truly understand that looking for a job might be a challenging and stressful experience. That is why I believe that being successful requires holding your emotions in check, staying focused on your goal of getting a job, and allowing yourself a fresh start each time.
Be persistent, and remember that even though there will be situations beyond your control, the recruiter who guides you through the recruitment process is your advocate who will always look for the best in you.
If you are interested in more tips on how to hack recruitment processes, I invite you to read more career advice on our blog.
